[common friends] Don't just maximize your windows—go full screen

When you need a really big window for viewing photos and videos, don't just maximize it: go full screen! This tip works great for viewing photos and videos at maximum size in Windows Explorer or Windows Media Player, utilizing screen space usually occupied by the header at the top of the screen and the taskbar at the bottom. Here's how:

Open any photo in Windows Explorer, or open a photo or video clip in Windows Media Player. Do one of the following:

In Windows 7 and Windows XP, click the F11 key at the top of your keyboard.

The photo or video image enlarges to its maximum size and the title bar and taskbar are hidden.

Customize the Navigation pane

You can use the navigation pane (the left pane) to find files and folders and display links to frequently used folders and other items. You can also move or copy items to a destination in the navigation pane.

If you don't see the navigation pane on the left side of an open folder window, click Organize, point to Layout, and then click Navigation pane to display it.

To customize the navigation pane in Windows 7

In an open folder or library window, click Organize, and then click Folder and search options.

In the Folder Options dialog box, click the General tab, and then do one or both of the following:

To show all the folders on your computer in the navigation pane, including your personal folder, select the Show all folders check box, click Apply to see the change, and then click OK.

To automatically expand the navigation pane to the folder that's selected in the folder window, select the Automatically expand to current folder check box, and then click OK.

A Forwarded mail 

Tips for healthy eyes

1.     Have your eyes tested regularly.

2.     Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Broccoli, spinach, sweetcorn, orange and yellow peppers, kiwi fruits, oranges and mangoes are all great sources of the substances lutein and zeaxanthin, which may help protect against some eye conditions. 

3.     Protect your eyes from the sun. Over-exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause a number of problems, including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. In sunny weather, always wear sunglasses or tinted lenses that carry the UV400 mark.

4.     Stop smoking. Smokers are up to three times more likely to develop cataracts than non-smokers - another good reason to quit.

5.     Take short, frequent breaks from the computer to prevent eyestrain and tiredness. Even if you don't get up, an 'eye break' - when you look away from the screen and focus on objects at varying distances will help.

6.     If you play a lot of sport, buy protective sports goggles to shield your eyes. This is especially important if you're keen on racquet sports; squash is the main cause of serious eye injuries.

7.     Eye injuries caused by DIY at home are common. Always wear safety goggles that carry the BS EN 166 safety mark to avoid injuries caused by flying wood chips or metal shards. If your job requires you to wear protective eyewear (your employer should provide it), never go without.

8.     If you get dust or grit in your eye, don't rub it. Pull the upper eyelid down over the lower lid and blink frequently to help the lower lashes and tears sweep and wash away the foreign object.

9.     If you wear contact lenses, regular aftercare check-ups are vital to ensure your lenses remain comfortable and your eyes stay healthy.

10.  If you notice any changes in your vision, pain in or around your eyes or if you keep getting headaches, book an appointment to see an Optometrist.

A Forwarded mail

THE MYTH OF REFRESHING THE DESKTOP

"Do you refresh your desktop?" Ask this to any Windows user and 99% of them – especially in India - will reply with a "yes". Of course, there are various needs for refreshing the desktop but the majority of people who does it don't even know why he is doing it. Refreshing the desktop is perhaps the biggest computer myth among all Windows users.

Every single person I have met does this or at least used to do it. It's not known who first discovered this remarkably useless trick and what he achieved from it, but it just spread. Most new users learn this trick from other new users without caring to know what it does. Some do it devotedly just because others do it, while some others have various weird explanations for it. A few of them assumes that it refreshes the RAM, while some others believe that doing it will somehow keep their PCs running smooth and easy. I have seen some users obsessed with refreshing the desktop, doing it every 30 seconds or so. They have even learnt the keyboard shortcut - F5 (just to mention, these are the people who never use keyboard shortcuts). They would press the key and wouldn't release it for a long time, sending the desktop into a frenzy of refreshes.

What does a desktop refresh actually do? Refreshing the desktop simply redraws the icons on the desktop. That's it! It doesn't refresh the RAM. It doesn't clean your PC. It doesn't refresh your computer the way it does to you when you wake up from a nap. Refreshing the desktop has absolutely no effect on the working or performance of the computer. So why is the tool there? As I said, refresh is used to re-display or redraw the icons on the desktop. Sometimes when you bring some changes to the desktop icons, the change doesn't get reflected instantly. In such cases, refreshing the desktop becomes necessary to bring the change to effect. Say, you have the desktop icons set to arrange themselves alphabetically on your desktop. When you add a new item to the desktop, this item wouldn't get arranged alphabetically, instead it would appear at the bottom of icon list on the desktop, irrespective of its name. Now if you refresh the desktop, all the icons would be once more arranged alphabetically and the newly added item would go to it's appropriate position. This is what refresh is for. It is to re-display the desktop. Refresh has the same function when done in explorer.

So, if you are in the habit of refreshing the desktop, stop it. You are just wasting your time and effort. And the next time you see a person doing it, don't forget to explain to him the futility of this action.

Forwarded Mail

Nail Care Tips

·          To harden soft nails, soak them in warm olive oil for about 20 minutes, on alternate days.

·          To remove stains from your nails, mix one tablespoon of lemon juice in a cup of water and soak your nails in this liquid for a few minutes. Then, wash off with warm water and apply a hand moisturizer.

·          It is not a good idea to remove the cuticles from your nails, as it will make the nail susceptible to infection. Rather, you should make use of good quality cuticle oil and gently push back the cuticles, with the help of an orangewood stick.

·          Try to stay away from acetone polish removers as much as you can and stick to the one that make use of acetate. Still, try not to use a polish remover more than once a week.

·          In case you wear nail polish, make sure to give your nails a break from time to time. In other words leave them without polish for a few days, every now and then. Otherwise, they will develop an ugly, yellow tint.

·          If you want to give a natural sheen to your nails, just like the colorless base coat, rub petroleum jelly on your nails and then buff them, with the help of a soft cloth.

·          If you have brittle nails or split or dull nails, then increasing your consumption of Organic Silica, Vitamin B (especially B5) and MSM (Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane) will surely help.

·          Never ever resort to nail biting, as it is extremely destructive for the nails as well as the cuticles. If you are in the habit of biting your nails, drop it as soon as possible.

·          Whenever you wash your hands, while bathing as well as otherwise, make sure to dry the nails properly and apply a hand cream or lotion, using it on the nails as well. This is because soap makes the nails dry and brittle.

·          The best time to file your nails is when you are already wearing a polish. This will prevent splitting or breaking of nails.

·          If you have brittle nails, it is advisable to wear a nail polish, or at least the colorless base coat, as much as you can.

Yoga for Weight Reduction

Yoga is an effective way to gain and maintain a healthy body. Yoga is said to be the best way of weight reduction because it has no side effects on your body. It won't make you anorexic or ultra slim. It is simply meant to proportionate your body weight in accordance to your height and lifestyle. The mechanism of Yoga in your body is simple yet extremely effective. It acts on the metabolism of your body as well as on your fat cells. The deep breathing in Yoga increases the oxygen intake to the cells of your body, including the fat cells which burn in contact of oxygen. Apart from this yoga makes one overcome from anxiety which is the major reason for overeating. Some of the Yoga asana also helps in weight control through stimulating lethargic thyroid glands for increasing their hormonal secretions, thus reducing weight.

Weight reduction through Yoga

What to do

• There are various Yoga asana like Paschimottanasana, Bhujangasana, Halasana, Dhanurasana, Veerasana, Trikonasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana which are specially meant for weight reduction. Following few of them regularly will certainly help you lose flab.
• Incase you are a thyroid patient and you have abnormally gained weight. You must go for Sarvangasana and Matasyasana for checking on the hormonal secretion of your thyroid gland.
• Regular Yoga asana done with Sun salutation (Surya Namaskar) is also very helpful in weight reduction.
• Regularly practicing Pranayamas for example Kapalabhatti, Anuloma-Viloma and Bhastrika not only help in weight reduction but equally helps in achieving a better muscle tone and endurance.
• Other than the regular practice of the Yoga, you must abide rules of eating healthy and fat free meal.
• Kriyas for cleaning the body namely Vaman Dhauti, and Shanka Prakshalana also help immensely in weight reduction.

What not to do

• Do not relish on junk food and carbonated drinks.
• Do not eat on irregular timings at irregular interval.
• Do not consume anything between two major meals. Also maintain a time difference of 4 hours two major meals.
• Do not break your regularity of Yoga.